October is Blindness Awareness Month, which is meant to bring heightened awareness about vision loss and the people living with it.
Blindness Awareness Month was established in 2009 by the Little Rock Foundation to assist blind or visually impaired children. Vision loss remains one of the top ten causes of disability in the United States, according to the CDC.
The foundation’s creators, Tina and Rocco Fiorentino, invested in fostering education, inspiration, and advocacy for the blind and visually impaired after their child, Rocco, was born four months premature and blind, per National Today.
Blindness and visual impairment affect over 3.4 million Americans aged 40 years and older, with macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy among the top causes of vision loss, per the CDC.
North Texas alone has more than 150,000 blind or visually impaired people, and the unemployment rate of blind or visually impaired people is estimated to be as high as 70%.
Envision Dallas, one of the largest employers for the blind and visually impaired in the United States, offers programs and resources such as assistive technology courses, mobility training, and occupational therapy.
The City of Dallas partnered with Envision, signing a three-year contract approved by the City Council in June of last year. The agreement called for employing blind or visually impaired adults to manage over 70% of municipal court calls at the Dallas 311 customer service support center.
One mega toy production company has also decided to put its expertise for fun toward helping blind and visually impaired children.
Just in time for the holiday season, LEGO has recently released “Play with Braille,” a concerted effort by the popular toy company to make play more inclusive.
Each of the 287 LEGO bricks in the set includes a Braille letter or number along with a printed version of the same, allowing the entire family to join in on the fun. LEGO Play with Braille is geared towards children ages six and older and costs around $90. Additional product information can be found on the LEGO site.
